374th Airlift Wing, US Air Force

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374TH AIRLIFT WING, US AIR FORCE

History: Established as 374 Troop Carrier Wing, Heavy, on 10 August 1948. Activated on 17 August 1948. Inactivated on 1 July 1957. Redesignated as 374 Troop Carrier Wing, and activated, on 27 June 1966. Organized on 8 August 1966. Redesignated as: 374 Tactical Airlift Wing on 1 August 1967; 374 Airlift Wing on 1 April 1992. The 374 Wing operated Harmon Field, Guam, August 1948-March 1949, and provided troop carrier operations in the Pacific and Far East. It moved to Japan in March 1949, and assumed control over Tachikawa (later, Tachikawa AB), operating this facility until 1 January 1956. Until the outbreak of war in Korea in June 1950, it performed routine transport operations. With assigned and attached components, the wing performed combat airlift, airdrops, and aeromedical evacuation in Korea throughout the war. It also flew courier flights throughout the Pacific area. In April 1953, it transported the first of several groups of repatriated prisoners of war from Korea to Japan (Operation Little Switch), and subsequently transported United Nations prisoners of war (Operation Big Switch) from North Korea. Following hostilities, the wing resumed its normal troop carrier and airlift operations in the Far East and Pacific area, including participation in tactical exercises and humanitarian missions. In Indo-China in 1954, the wing transported observers, maintenance personnel, and liaison officers and evacuated wounded French troops. It trained C-46 pilots of the Japanese Air Self Defense Force, November 1954-May 1955. Nine years later, in August 1966, it was activated at Naha AB, Okinawa, and assumed a mission of airlift to Southeast Asia, as well as intra-theater airlift for elements of the Pacific Command. In addition, the wing supported Army Special Forces training, participated in tactical exercises, and flew search and rescue and humanitarian missions as needed. The wing had no aircraft from 27 April to 31 May 1971. It was revived with new resources in Taiwan and remained heavily committed in support of operations in Southeast Asia, and also continued routine airlift in other areas. One of the wing’s humanitarian missions—flood relief in the Philippines—earned it a Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation in 1972. The wing provided support in March 1973 for Operation Homecoming, the repatriation of American prisoners from Hanoi, North Vietnam. It maintained a forward operating location in Thailand until mid-1976. The 374th participated in Operation Baby Lift (evacuation of Vietnam orphans) and Operation New Life (evacuation of Vietnamese refugees) in April 1975. During the recovery of the SS Mayaguez from the Cambodians in May 1975, a wing aircraft dropped a 15,000-lb bomb on Koh Tang Island to create a helicopter landing area. On 31 March 1975, the wing gained an aeromedical airlift mission in the Far East. In October 1978, it added a tactical airlift group to control the wing’s units in Japan and South Korea, and continued controlling aerial port facilities in South Korea until November 1983, and then in the Philippines and Japan. It began supporting US Navy elements in the Indian Ocean area in 1980. From 30 December 1990-6 July 1991, the wing deployed C-130s and associated aircrews and support personnel for operations in Southwest Asia, and from 8 Jun-1 Jul 1991 provided airlift and aeromedical airlift for the evacuation of Clark AB, Philippines, after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. From 1992 to present, the 374 Airlift Wing conducted special operations, aeromedical evacuations, search and rescue operations, humanitarian relief and theater airlift missions in support of US and United Nations security interests throughout the Far East. In 1996, the 374th deployed portions of the Air Transportable Hospital to Andersen AFB, Guam to assist in Operation Pacific Haven, migrant operations of more than 2000 Kurdish nationals. Deployed to Utapao RTAFB, Thailand from 28 December 2004-26 January 2005 as part of Operation Unified Assistance, distributed humanitarian supplies to people and eleven nations devastated by an earthquake triggered tsunami. Participated in Operation Enduring Freedom in the Philippines, 2002-; Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2004-2010 (later, Operation New Dawn, 2010-2013); Operation Caring Response (Burma cyclone relief), May-Jun 2008. Took part in humanitarian relief for Japan after earthquake and tsunami, spring 2011.


Coat of arms (crest) of the 374th Airlift Wing, US Air Force
Official blazon
English blazon wanted

Origin/meaning

The Emblem was approved on 20 December 1951; newest rendition approved on 16 December 1992.

Literature: Image from Wikimedia Commons. Information from https://www.afhra.af.mil/


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